MinxterBLOOM

Again, another probe of the blogosphere.  Looking to post again. How about garden ornaments to get started?

More Nicotiana, this kind an odd and welcome hybrid of N. alata, I believe.

Over the years, in this section I grow many tobacco plants.  Not sure what these are but the scent, oh the scent.

I am sheepish here to post something and wish to be more regular on this space.  Occasionally, I hear from some who miss that I am not more active.  Mostly  ordinarly reasons of busyness and hard work.  However, an agressive lurker made posting here a bit difficult.  That seems to be over. So, an item or two from my summer garden for you.  And, me.  Nicotiana alata or scented tobacco:  I did not expect the lavender bloom here, a sport of such lovely surprise.

I am pressing tobacco leaves of several sorts, wondering if I can make cigarette of some sort of either smoke this fall or to burn in a censor.  Tobacco is a sacred plant, that could be reclaimed in ways more temperate, more graceful than how the leaf is used now.

Hills, founder of the UK's leading organic growing charity, Garden Organic, and the grandaddy of the organic gardening movement, was 37 when he saw his first comfrey plant. "From that day on," he said, "I never lived farther away from a comfrey plant than 100ft, and more than any woman has, this crop has changed my life."

Hills lived by the motto "search only for the truth that hurts no man", and to him his research into comfrey embodied an almost heroic quest for the secrets of sustained garden fertility that would help mankind through difficult times.

 

From the UK Guardian piece here.  See many photos of this plant at CalPhoto (copyrighted).  Here is the Richter's page and image. Click intothe image for link to their excellent online catalog.

Common comfrey

wordsmithing here, for which I apologize.  Spring is underway.  Tasks today included:

• sustainable harvest of moss from two places
• transplanting of these mosses to front yard and the backyard of a friend
• check of seedlings emerging, including tiny poppies
• reworking of soil for lettuce seeding after the snow/slush tomorrow
• check of three surviving kale plants under glass
• measuring of greenhouse bones for cladding

And, thinking about the worm culture I want to start. What about this idea?  Worms in a re-purposed chest of drawers? I am putting her photo here of what I hope to make this spring, with a discarded chest.